We were half-expecting to see the Xoom 2 officially break cover at Motorola’s Droid RAZR launch event (especially since some incriminating photos of the tab leaked just prior to it), but according to the latest Carphone Warehouse buyer’s guide, the Xoom 2 should make its debut in time for the holidays.
I managed to scrounge up a high resolution shot of the page in question (below), and it points out a few interesting particulars.
The 16GB WiFi-only model is slated to run tablet-hungry customers €399 (roughly $545) when it hits Ireland later this year. It also runs Android 3.2/Gingerbread, much to the consternation of Ice Cream Sandwich fans the world over. Sadly, Carphone Warehouse’s copywriters didn’t feel like waxing technical, so there’s still no confirmation regarding what the Xoom 2 has lurking under its hood.
The ad’s spec sheet also lists the Xoom 2 as having a 8.2-inch touchscreen, which brings up a few questions — is this the rumored media-friendly model with a built-in IR blaster? Where’s the 10.1-inch model that we’ve seen so much of? Questions still outnumber answers at this point, but it shouldn’t be too long before things start coming into focus.
For what it’s worth, I get the impression that the unit we see here is the most basic version of the smaller Xoom 2, codenamed “Fleming”. It lacks many of the frills that previous leaks have alluded to, like an LTE radio and higher-capacity flash memory chips. If nothing else, it gives me hope that a wallet-friendly Xoom 2 may soon see the light of day around these parts. Considering that Motorola is selling a “family version” of the original Xoom for $379, a $450 entry-level Xoom 2 wouldn’t be impossible, especially if Motorola just wants to move hardware over the holidays.
